Journal profile · Ecology
Journal of Applied Ecology
ISSN 0021-8901 · eISSN 1365-2664 · Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd · ENGLAND · Bimonthly · Founded 1964
Journal of Applied Ecology: CAS Zone 1 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 4.92; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,610; median 200 days to acceptance (116 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly hard; 319 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Applied Ecology is published by Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd and is in Zone 1 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and Plant and animal studies, together about 36.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
<em>Journal of Applied Ecology</em> publishes impactful research at the intersection of ecological science and the management of biological resources.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Ecology
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science17.2%
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationEnvironmental Science12%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.7%
- Species Distribution and Climate ChangeEnvironmental Science6.3%
- Rangeland and Wildlife ManagementEnvironmental Science5%
- Avian ecology and behaviorEnvironmental Science4.7%
- Animal Ecology and Behavior StudiesEnvironmental Science3.7%
- Fish Ecology and Management StudiesEnvironmental Science3.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 4.92LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 5.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 8.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.77LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.74LetPub ·
- h-index
- 159LetPub ·
- h-index
- 319OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 7,116OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.32OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 65.79%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 290LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 9,427 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 341 | 235 | 143 |
| 2025 | 319 | 249 | 1,287 |
| 2024 | 276 | 207 | 2,609 |
| 2023 | 247 | 209 | 3,864 |
| 2022 | 246 | 170 | 5,005 |
| 2021 | 293 | 161 | 9,097 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
200 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 153 days – 286 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 41 days (116 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 241 days
- Sample
- 116 articles with submission and acceptance dates (686 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 4.5 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly hardLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 14%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 9 daysPublisher website ·
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,610 / EUR 3,000 / GBP 2,410 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1964
- ISSN
- 0021-8901
- Electronic ISSN
- 1365-2664
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 63, Issue 9 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Applied Ecology
What CAS zone is Journal of Applied Ecology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Applied Ecology is in Zone 1 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Biodiversity Conservation / Ecology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Applied Ecology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.92; CiteScore 8.8, h-index 319.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Applied Ecology?
Based on the dates recorded on 116 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 200 days (interquartile range 153–286 days); authors report an average review time of about 4.5 months; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly hard”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 14%. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Which databases index Journal of Applied Ecology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Applied Ecology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Journal of Applied Ecology open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Applied Ecology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,610.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .